Chewy rice noodles stir fried with tender beef in a savory sauce with vegetables and aromatics! This quick and easy beef chow fun is better-than-takeout and made with simple ingredients! A great main dish or meal for the whole family!
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Beef Chow Fun (a.k.a. Beef Hor Fun) features juicy beef stir fried with bouncy rice noodles in a tasty stir-fry sauce with mung bean sprouts, green onions and garlic.
It's a popular Chinese dish served at many Chinese restaurants and also known as "Gon Chow Ngau Ho" in Cantonese.
"Gon Chow" means "dry stir-frying" and "Ngau Ho" means "beef rice noodle". This is because the noodles are not fried in a lot of sauce.
These Asian noodles are one of my favorite Chinese dishes ever and also my mother's favourite dish. The aroma of the onions complements the tender beef and the sauce is perfectly balanced for the chewy noodles.
Why you'll love the recipe:
- ready in 30-minutes!
- made with simple ingredients.
- serves well as a complete meal as it contains protein, carbs and veggies.
- great for the whole family including the kids.
- restaurant quality!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fresh Wide Rice Noodles: these are usually sold in the refrigerated section of Asian supermarkets, either pre-sliced into noodles or as large sheets you can cut into 1-inch-wide strands. Or substitute with dry wide rice noodle sticks (about 10 mm wide) and boil them for 5-6 minutes or until al dente, or fresh rice noodle rolls sliced into 1-inch wide pieces.
- Flank Steak: or substitute with sirloin tip steak, tri-tip steak, hanger steak, top round steak, chicken, pork shoulder or shrimp.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Green Onions: or substitute with thinly sliced white onions.
- Mung Bean Sprouts: or substitute with soy bean sprouts, julienned carrots, gai-lan, bok choy, or yu choy sum.
- Garlic
Beef Marinade
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
- Regular Soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Shaoxing Wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine available at Asian grocers. Or substitute with dry sherry wine, dry white wine or chicken broth.
- Baking Soda: do not skip this as it tenderizes the beef.
- White Pepper: or substitute with black pepper.
- Neutral Cooking Oil
Noodle Sauce
- Regular Soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Oyster Sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce.
- Dark Soy Sauce: or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce or regular soy sauce.
- Sesame Oil: for that nutty flavor but please omit if you're allergic.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh rice noodles for the best chewy texture! These are much chewier than rehydrated dried rice noodles.
- If you're using dry wide rice noodles, after boiling them, strain and rinse off with cold running water. Then strain again and mix in 1 teaspoon or 5 ml of neutral oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
- Rinse the bean sprouts with cold running water to remove any natural odors and strain out as much excess water as possible.
- To thinly slice beef, freeze flank steak uncovered for 45-60 minutes until the exterior is hard and use a sharp knife.
- Don't skip the baking soda or cornstarch in the beef marinade! These are the key ingredients in any Chinese marinade to create extra tender meat.
- Prepare the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast.
- Use two spatulas and gently lift the noodles from the bottom to toss them in the sauce to prevent noodle breakage.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make beef chow fun:
- Thinly slice flank steak against the grain on an angle into ¼-inch-thick pieces and transfer beef slices to a large bowl. Add marinade ingredients as listed above to the beef and mix well. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- Then in a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- If needed, microwave fresh rice noodles for 2-3 minutes at 60 second intervals or until soft and pliable. Gently separate them by hand after they've cooled down a bit.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry marinated beef in a single layer until cooked and slightly browned on edges. Remove and set aside.
- With the residual oil in the pan, fry scallion whites only and garlic for 10 seconds.
- Add remaining oil, rice noodles, and noodle sauce. Gently toss the noodles with the sauce using two spatulas lifting from the bottom. Add cooked beef, bean sprouts, and scallion greens. Toss until everything is mixed. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing beef chow fun because the rice noodles will change in texture after reheating.
Pairing Suggestions
Beef Chow Fun serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, Beef Mushroom Stir Fry, Beef with Black Bean Sauce, Black Pepper Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Can I make beef chow fun in advance?
Beef chow fun can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Can I make beef chow fun gluten-free?
Beef chow fun can be made gluten-free by substituting both soy sauces and the oyster sauce with gluten-free versions that you can find online at or select Asian grocery stores. The Shaoxing wine can be substituted with dry sherry or chicken broth. Rice noodles are naturally gluten-free.
Can I add vegetables to beef chow fun?
Feel free to add more vegetables to beef chow fun such as thinly sliced carrots, bell peppers, bok choy, gai-lan, yu choy sum, baby corn, snap or snow peas.
More like this
- Beef Lo Mein
- Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
- Pad See Ew
- Hoisin Chicken Noodles
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Beef Chow Fun
Chewy rice noodles stir fried with tender beef in a savory sauce with vegetables and aromatics! This quick and easy beef chow fun is better-than-takeout and made with simple ingredients! A great main dish or meal for the whole family!
Ingredients
- 19 oz fresh rice noodles or see Notes below for substitutes
- ½ lb flank steak or see Notes below for beef substitutes
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 4 scallions chopped into 1-inch long pieces with green and white parts separated
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts or soy bean sprouts, washed and strained
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Beef Marinade
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- ½ tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry wine
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Noodle Sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Thinly slice flank steak against the grain on an angle into ¼-inch-thick pieces and transfer beef slices to a large bowl. Add marinade ingredients as listed above to the beef and mix well. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- Then in a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- If needed, microwave fresh rice noodles for 2-3 minutes at 60 second intervals or until soft and pliable. Gently separate them by hand after they've cooled down a bit.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry marinated beef in a single layer until cooked and slightly browned on edges. Remove and set aside.
- With the residual oil in the pan, fry scallion whites only and garlic for 10 seconds.
- Add remaining oil, rice noodles, and noodle sauce. Gently toss the noodles with the sauce using two spatulas lifting from the bottom.
- Add cooked beef, bean sprouts, and scallion greens. Toss until everything is mixed. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Substitutes for Fresh Rice Noodles
Feel free to substitute the fresh rice noodles with:- 10-mm Dry Wide Rice Noodle Sticks (use 225g / 8 oz for a serving of 5): Boil the dry rice noodle sticks in hot boiling water for 5-6 minutes or until al dente. Strain and rinse off with running cold water. Strain again and mix in 1 teaspoon of neutral oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
- Fresh Rice Noodle Rolls (a.k.a Cheung fun): I recommend microwaving for 30-60 second intervals for 2-3 minutes until they're warm enough to peel apart by hand. Then either cut them into 1-inch-wide pieces and unravel them or split them down the middle by hand.
Substitutes for Flank Steak?
Or substitute with sirloin tip steak, tri-tip steak, hanger steak, top round steak, chicken, pork shoulder or jumbo shrimp. Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
Suggested Equipment & Products
Nutrition
Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 986mg | Potassium: 292mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
Anna
This recipe is excellent and tastes just like the Chinese restaurants. Thank you!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the kind review, Anna! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and it's restaurant quality 🙂
Dee
Hi, I’m kind confused for the noodles when we microwave it in the video you said microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes but on the recipe you said microwave it for 2 to 3 times for 60 seconds so which one is it? I’m kind of confused.
Christie Lai
Hi Dee! Thanks for flagging that! I've updated the recipe to indicate that it should be 2-3 minutes.
Rosemary
There is nothing better than Asian marinated beef with tender noodles! My most favorite Asian food of all time!!
Ella
I made this the other night and it was so good! I used a carbon steel wok and it tasted just like the Chinese restaurant. Thanks for the recipe!